Multiplying machine



Jan. 4, 1944. QB. SHAFER MULTIPLYING MACHINE Filed June 12', 1941 4Sheets-Sheet 1 R m E H N ms m M w IF. A U mm 0 3m Jan. 4, 1944. o. B.SHAFER MULTIPLYING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 12, 1941 INVENTORORV/[LE 5. 5H/1/Tffi BY WQ RNEY Jan. 4, 1944.

o. B. SHAFEB MULTIPLYING MACHINE Filed'June 12, 1941 4 Shets-Sheet 3INVENTOR OAV/LLE B. .SHAFER ATTORNEY Jan. 4, 1944. o. B. SHAFERMULTVIPLYINGQ MACHINE Filed June 12, 1941 CCZ CCZG FC10. F615"--- CARDIMPULS EMITTER Zb5 FEEDIGYCLIE |.C|AM|5HAFT MAKES I FROM CARD QUANTITYl2 o F|G.3.

. z 21 3 0 9 4 (p- 5 o FRACTIONS 4; 4 8 42 8 4' 8 ENTERFROMCARD .100.200 .300 .400 .500 .600 .700 ENTERFRUMEMITTELOZS .050 .075 J00 .125 J50J75 DEQIMAL J25 .250 .375 .500 ,625 750 .015

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 4, 1944 I MULTIPLYING MACHINEOrville B. Shafer, Owcgo, N. Y., assignor to International BusinessMachines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation or New YorkApplication June 12, 1941, Serial No. 397,686

2 Claims.

This invention relates to record card controlled multiplying machines inwhich designations representing factors are read from the cards tocontrol multiplying mechanism and the product is recorded back on thesame card.

The object of the present invention. is to provide mechanism forenabling the machine to control the multiplying mechanism in response tothe sensing of designations representing fractional amounts. Thefractions are usually recorded on record cards by perforationsindicating the numerator of the fraction. The device in the invention isdesigned to convert the numerator into the decimal equivalent of thefraction prior to multiplication, which then proceeds in the usualmanner to obtain the Product with any fractional part obtained indecimal form.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the followingdescription and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which disclose, by way of example. the principle of the invention andthe best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

Figs. 1, 1a and 1?) taken together and placed one above the other in theorder named show a part of the electric circuits of the multiplyingmachine to indicate the application of the devices of the inventionthereto.

Fig. 2 is a timing chart of certain of the contact devices. I

Fig. 3 is a fragment of a record card showing the manner in whichfractions are recorded.

Fig. 4 is a table showing the steps involved in the conversion of thefractional amounts to their decimal equivalents.

The machine to which the invention is applied is that shown anddescribed in Patent 2,045,437 granted to G. F. Daly on June 23, 1936,and only so much of the circuits are shown as is necessary for anunderstanding of the present invention. In the drawing the referencecharacters employed in the patent are reproduced for ready crossreference.

The invention concerns those operations which take place during two ofthe several: usual cycles of the machine. These two cycles are known asthe card feeding cycles. and the timing of the pertinent contacts duringthis period is indicated in Fig. 2. Briefly, during the first of the twocycles in question, the record card bearing factor to be multiplied issensed by the usual sensing devices. One factor is entered into what isknown as the multiplicand entry receiving device, and the other intowhat is known as the multiplier receiving dequantity such as 345% isrecorded. This quantity is to serve as th multiplicand factor, and it isto be noted that the whole number part thereof is recorded in the usualmanner by perforations in the representative index point positions ofthe card. The fractional part, which in this case represents eighths ormultiples of eighths, is recorded by a single perforation in the indexpoint position representing the numerator of the fraction. Thus, A; isrepresented by a perforation in the 1 position, A by a perforation inthe 2 position, by a perforation in the 3 position and so The usual plugconnections designated 500 (Fig; 1) are made from the plug sockets ofthe brushes IUBMC which read columns of the record card to the enteringplug sockets of the multiplicand accumulator. The connections are madeso that the sensing brush |09MC which senses the column of the card inwhich the fraction is recorded is connected to the hundreds orderposition of the accumulator. Thus, during the usual card feeding cyclethe numerator of the fraction is entered into this hundreds order in thesame manner as the whole numbers representing digits are entered. Thus,for the example shown in Fig. 3, during the entering part of the cardfeed cycle the quantity 345 will be entered into the MC accumulator as3451. During the second part of the card feed cycle, a further entry imade into the MC accumulator to advance its reading from 3451 to 345125.

The usual entering circuit i traceable from the AC side of line 383,relay contacts HI, (Fig. 1) cam contacts FCl closed during the cardfeed. cycle, impulse distributor 269, common contact roller 81,perforation in the record card, brush IOQMC, plug connection 500,contacts 381, ac-Y cumulator magnet 390MC to ground through conii tactsA2. The entry of the amount 3451 in the MC accumulator is represented inits usual socalled readout" device MCRO (Fig. 1a) -;by differentialdisplacement of commutator brushes 5! to the positions indicated indotted lines. Up to this point the operation is precisely the same asformerly, and the displacement of the brush 50 in the hundreds orderdesignated H is the same, as though the perforation in the 1 position ofthe card represented the decimalvalue 1. v 5

- digits in the accumulator.

For the purposes of the present invention, a pair of wires 502 (Fig. 1a)extends from the common readout strips 503 of the hundreds order to apair of contacts Ria (Fig. 1b), which are controlled by a relay magnetRI. A pair of contacts FCia is provided which close near the end of thefirst card feed cycle as indicated in Fig. 2, so that at such time,after the multiplicand has been entered in the MC accumulator, a circuitis completed from line 383, contacts FCia, a switch 504, magnet Rl toground. A further pair. of contacts designated CC2a is provided whichhave the same timing as the usual cam contacts C2. These are constantlyrunning cam contacts and close at the time indicated in Fig. 2 for eachcycle of the machine so that, when they now close near the end of thefirst card feed cycle after magnet RI has been energized, a circuit iscompleted from line 383, through contacts CC2a (Fig. lb), contacts Rianow closed, wires 502 to the readout strips 503 (Fig. 1a) of thehundreds order of the MCRO device. From the right hand strip 503 thecircuit continues through the right hand brush 50i, toward the left tothe wire 505 farthest to the left, a pair of contacts Rib (Fig. 1b),relay magnet R2, to ground. A number of wires 505 is provided extendingthrough different contacts Rib and further wires 506 are also providedextending to other contacts Rib. The arrangement is such that, whenbrush 50i in the hundreds order is set at 1, a circuit is completedthrough the Rib contact designated l in Fig. 1b. When the brush standsat 2, a circuit extends through the 2 contact; when it stands at 3, thecircuit is through the 3 contact; when the brush stands at 4, thecircuit is through the 4 contact; when it is at 5, the circuit extendsin parallel through two contacts each designated 5, and when the brushstands at 6 or 7, there are also parallel circuits through two contactsappropriately designated.

The contacts are wired as shown through four relay contacts designatedR2, R3, R4 and R5, so that further summarizing, when the digital settingin the hundreds order of the MCRO device is 1 or 5, magnet R2 isenergized; when the setting is 2 or 6, R3 is energized, and when it is 3or '7, R4 is energized. Further, whenever the setting is 4, 5, 6 or 7,magnet R is energized. The relay magnets R2 to R5 are of the doublewound type of which the upper winding is the so-called pickup windingand the lower winding is the so-called holding winding. These magnetsclose contacts sufiixed a which provide a holding circuit from line 383,through cam contacts FCI5 timed as shown in Fig. 2, contacts R2a, R3a,etc., in the holding winding of their respective magnets to ground.

These magnets also close further contacts designated by the suffix bwhich are wired to the usual group of wires 430 that extend to the usualemitter 265 (Fig. 1a) The contacts are also connected to three wiresdesignated 501 that extend upwardly across Fig. 1a to the unit, tens andhundreds order magnets 390MC.

As is well known, the brush of emitter 265 (Fig. la) rotates constantlyand connects the wires 430 in succession to the line 383, so thatdigital impulses are impressed on these wires at times appropriate forthe entry of corresponding The blades of contacts R2b are connected tothe 2 and 5 wires 430, the blade of contacts R3b is connected to the 5wire; the blades of contacts Rib are connected to the 7 and 5 wires, andthe blade of contacts R5b MCRO device is standing at 1, magnet R2 willbe energized to close its contacts R2b. Thus, during the second cardfeeding cycle, as emitter 28! sends impulses to the wires 030, a circuitis traceable from line 383 (Fig. 1a), emitter 265, the 5 wire 430, wire508 (Fig. 1b), the lower contacts R2b, normally closed contacts Rlb, theunits wire 50! to the units order magnet 380MC (Fig. 1) and thence toground.

Completion of this circuit under control of the emitter will cause anentry of 5 in the units order of the accumulator. Shortly thereafter, asecond circuit is traceable from line 383 (Fig. 1a), emitter 265, the 2wire 430 (Fig. 1b), wire 508, upper contacts R2b, normally closedcontacts R3b, normally closed upper contacts Rlb, the tens order wire50! to the tens order magnet 390MC. Thus, a 2 is entered into the tensorder.

of the MC accumulator so that at the end of this cycle the units, tensand hundreds orders read which is the decimal equivalent oft a.

Turning to Fig. 4, the table there shown indicates on the linedesignated enter from card" the single digit 1 to 7 entered in thehundreds order of the accumulator. On the next line designated enterfrom emitter" is indicated the additional amount which is added to theinitial amount to advance the accumulator wheels in the three lowestorders to the values represented along the lines designated "decimal."

As a further example, should it be assumed that the initial entry fromthe card into the hundreds order is 7 representative of thenfollowingthis entry upon closure of cam contacts FCia and RI resultingin the closure of contacts Rla and Rib, a circuit is traceable from line383, Fig. lb, to contacts CCZa, left hand contacts Ria, left hand wire502, left hand readout strip 503, to the left hand brush 50i in the 7position, thence through the wire 505 farthest to the right to the 7contact Rib (Fig. 1b) and relay magnet R4 to ground. Concurrently, aparallel circuit is traceable from line 383, contacts CCZa, right handcontacts Ria, right hand wire 502, and strip 503, right hand brush 50i,wire 506, farthest to the left, the second contact Rib designated 7 andmagnet R5 to ground. Thus, near the end of the first card feed cycleboth magnets RI and R5 are energized and their contacts held closed bythe holding circuit through contacts FCi5.

In the next following cycle as emitter 265 functions, a circuit iscompleted at the 7 time from the 7 wire 430 (Fig. 1b), wire 5|0, uppercontacts Rlb (not shifted) to the tens wire 50! and from thence to thetens order magnet 380MC, At the 5 time, a circuit is completed from the8 wire 430, through wire 508, lower part of contact Rlb, units orderwire 501, to the units order magnet 380MC. Finally, at the 1 time acircuit is completed from the 1 wire 438, contacts Rib, now closed, andhundreds wire 50'! through the hundreds order magnet 390MC. Thus, theinitial setting 700 in the three lowest orders of the accumulator ischanged to 875 during the second card feed cycle. After the entryportion of the cycle, cam contacts FCI5 open and from this point on themachine functions in exactly the same manner as set forth in the patentreferred to, with the decimal amount now standing in the MCRO devicebeing multiplied by any multiplier to obtain the product of the two andpunch it back on the record card.

The device may be disabled by opening of switch 504, so that where themachine is controlled by cards not requiring the traction to decimalconversion, the additional entry into the MC accumulator to convert thenumerator of the fraction to the decimal equivalent will not take place.The fraction whose denominator is 8 has been chosen for purposes ofillustration, but it will be understood that the principles involved inthe method of wiring are equally suitable for the handling of fractionsother denominators.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamentalnovel features of the invention as applied to a ingle modification, itwill be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changesin the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operationmay be made by those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limitedonly as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine of the class described, controlled by a record card inwhich the numerator 01 a fraction is represented by a single designationin a corresponding digit representing position in a column of the card,the combination oi! an accumulator having denominationally orderedelements, entering means therefor, record sensing means responsive tosaid designation to cause the enteringmeans of a higher order element toenter the numerator of the fraction therein, further means capable ofcausing the entering means to enter any of the digits into saidelements, means effective upon entry of the numerator digit, for testingthe setting of said higher order element, and means controlled therebyfor rendering said further means effective to control the entering meansof said higher order element and lower ordered adjacent elements toenter digits therein to advance said orders to a setting representativeor the decimal equivalent of said traction,

2. In combination, an accumulator having denominationally orderedelements,'entering means therefor, means for causing the entering meansof an intermediate element to. effect a setting of such elementrepresentative of the numerator of a predetermined fraction, furthermeans capableof causing the entering means of 'said intermediate andlower ordered adjacent elements to enter any digit in each, and meanscontrolled by said intermediate element for rendering said further meanseffective to add into certain said elements an amount to cause the totalin the accumulator to represent the decimal equivalent of the fractionwhose numerator was initially entered in said intermediate element.

ORVILLE B. SHAFER.

